October 2010

It was hard to tell if autumn had really made it to the Brazos Valley in October because much above normal temperatures seemed to still be hanging around. The maximum temperature maxed out at 92°F on the 27th and tied the record for highest maximum temperature on that day. The rest of the month, maximum temperatures hovered around the mid to high 80s. As small taste of fall came on the 3rd and 4th when the maximum daily temperature topped out at 77°F. The lowest minimum temperature was 38°F for the month and was recorded on the 30th. There were several near records this month for highest maximum temperature, highest minimum temperature, and lowest minimum temperature. Rain seemed to be the missing factor for the month of October in College Station. Only three times during the month was a trace of rain recorded. These three traces of precipitation brought the monthly total to a trace, about four inches below normal. The lack of rain and warm temperatures increased the threat of drought and wild fires in the College Station area. In fact two grass fires broke out on Highway 6 in Bryan on the 10th and were exacerbated by the extremely dry conditions. For now, no outdoor burn ban has been placed on College Station but several counties to the north, south, and east of College Station have burn bans in place to help prevent wildfires. As of the end of the October, Brazos County has been designated as moderate drought by the United States Drought Monitor.

Daily Temperature

Daily Precipitation

Monthly Temperature Summary

Day

Maximum

Minimum

*Departure

Total

Mean

Value

*Departure

1

88°F

68°F

+3°F

Maximum

85.2°F

+3.2°F

2

86°F

62°F

‑1°F

Minimum

58.2°F

‑0.8°F

3

77°F

60°F

‑6°F

Average

71.7°F

+1.2°F

4

77°F

54°F

‑10°F

Degree Days

Total

*Departure

5

81°F

49°F

‑9°F

Heating

12

‑13

6

83°F

50°F

‑8°F

Cooling

227

+31

7

86°F

51°F

‑6°F

Numberof Days:

Total

*Departure

8

87°F

52°F

‑4°F

Maximum ≥ 90°F

2

‑1

9

86°F

53°F

‑4°F

Maximum ≤ 32°F

0

0

10

86°F

58°F

‑1°F

Minimum ≤ 32°F

0

0

11

88°F

66°F

+5°F

12

89°F

62°F

+4°F

Monthly Precipitation Summary

13

86°F

58°F

0°F

Precipitation

Value

*Departure

14

81°F

52°F

‑4°F

Monthly Total

Trace

‑4.22"

15

84°F

47°F

‑6°F

Year-to-date Total

27.80"

‑5.46"

16

85°F

50°F

‑4°F

Days ≥ 0.01"

0

‑6

17

85°F

58°F

+2°F

18

86°F

66°F

+6°F

Monthly Extremes

19

88°F

62°F

+5°F

Extreme

Value

Date(s)

20

89°F

63°F

+7°F

Highest Temperature

92°F

27th

21

88°F

65°F

+8°F

Lowest Temperature

38°F

30th

22

89°F

67°F

+10°F

T

Max. 24-hour Precip.

Trace

23

87°F

72°F

+12°F

T

Maximum Wind Gust

36 mph

22nd

24

89°F

71°F

+12°F

25

90°F

72°F

+14°F

Record Book for October

26

88°F

64°F

+9°F

T

Highest Temperature

102°F

1938

27

92°F

66°F

+12°F

Lowest Temperature

29°F

1993

28

79°F

54°F

+0°F

Highest Minimum

81°F

2009

29

74°F

43°F

‑8°F

Lowest Maximum

40°F

1925

30

80°F

38°F

‑7°F

Wettest Month

18.77"

1994

31

86°F

51°F

+4°F

Driest Month

0.00"

1952

Wettest 24 Hours

13.39"

1994

"T" indicates daily precipitation ≤ 0.005".BOLDFACE indicates an extreme daily value for the month.ITALICS indicates a daily record was set or tied.
*Departure from the 1971‑2000 normal.

*New Records Set

Day

Parameter

Value

Old Record

Year

27th

Tied highest maximum temperature

92°F

92°F

1939

*Near Records

Day

Parameter

Value

Record

Year

5th

Tied 4th lowest minimum temperature

49°F

45°F

1932

23rd

Tied 3rd highest minimum temperature

72°F

75°F

1925

24th

Tied 3rd highest maximum temperature

89°F

93°F

2001

24th

Tied 4th highest minimum temperature

71°F

74°F

1932

25th

Tied 2nd highest minimum temperature

72°F

73°F

1991

25th

Tied 2nd highest maximum temperature

90°F

91°F

1992

*NOTE: Records from 1910 through July 1951 are based on observations taken at the Texas AgriculturalExperiment Station main farm located 7 miles SW of College Station. Records from August 1951 throughthe present are based on observations taken at Easterwood Field.